Friday, 30 March 2012

Back with a vengeance...

I’m back in the workshop now after a busy few weeks getting
ready for NAHBS and Bespoked Bristol. Both shows were great fun! Meeting other
builders and happily chatting away with people that really appreciate the
craft. Receiving an award from both shows was amazing to say the least. I
certainly was not expecting anything. They really put a big smile on my face!

These last 12 months... let’s call it a year, has been tough.
I’ve spent the last year working
quietly, taking care of custom orders and also working very hard prototyping
and developing my signature frames. I guess in some ways I fell off the public
radar a bit. But what I have to show for it is an epic new range of bikes.

So, NAHBS and Bespoked Bristol were an opportunity to debut
my new Signature “Hermes” and “The Manhattan”.I think they went down quite well... No, seriously, I was really pleased
with all the positive feedback, so thanks everybody! I feel with the Signature
stuff that I am finally building frames that live up to the name Demon.

Call it what you will, breaking the mould, going the extra mile,
raising the bar... It’s all that stuff. I see this as a personal challenge, a
quest if you will. I want to make epic bikes that blow your mind! I know it may
not be to everybody’s taste, but hey, I can only make about 40 of these a year.

Only 40 a year? If you
want to make bikes like this with the lugs made from scratch for each frame and
if you want to spend the time required to make them as crisp and sharp as
possible, if you want them to be so crisp and so sharp that you can rock up at
NAHBS with a raw lacquered frame. Then yeah, 40 is about the best I can do. Factor in the fact that I do all the designing,
milling, turning, CNC, TIG welding, brazing, polishing and everything else on
my own... well, I’m a very busy boy!

I still have a head full of new ideas and a sketch book full
of... erm... sketches. So be prepared for more epicness from the Demon
workshop! There are at least two new lug designs on the way. There is also a
very exciting collaboration going on between me and good friend/framebuilder in
the US. More details on that one very soon! The last thing I want to mention if
my HS frame project. Can’t say too much about it right now, I’m playing my
cards close to my chest but I can say that it’s going to be a speed demon and super
bad-ass!